How to spare the sugar in baked foods, part 4

January 29, 2014
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by Laurie Gorton, Baking & Snack

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When formulators cut sugar out of baked goods, they must take into consideration its role as a texturizer. Here’s advice from Carl Volz, president, Sensus America, Inc., Lawrenceville, NJ, about how inulin helps maintain organoleptic properties important to consumers.

Baking & Snack: What sugar-sparing strategies do you advise bakery formulators to follow?

Carl Volz: When considering opportunities in sugar reduction, formulators need to be sure that new products maintain the organoleptic properties that consumers prefer, particularly texture.

What ingredients does Sensus America offer for bakery and snack applications that reduce the amount of sugar in such foods?

How does this work? What is the mechanism that allows these ingredients to reduce overall sugar content? Or cut the finished products glycemic index? What usage and/or substitution levels are required?

Frutalose SF75 delivers most of the same functional benefits that are associated with sugars, especially humectancy. The humectant properties of Frutalose SF75 allow it to function as a direct replacement for invert sugar and high-fructose corn syrup in bakery applications. The product contains 75% dietary fiber and 2 Cal per g yet still provides 65% the sweetness of sucrose.

Can you point to baked foods already on the market that achieve such results?

There are number of products on the market utilizing Frutalose for sugar replacement. These products include cookies, brownies and bars. In addition to reducing sugar, many of the products are also able to support health claims surrounding the level of dietary fiber.

Looking at current uses of your ingredients in such formulations, how would you recommend their use be improved? Be made more effective in reducing the amounts of added sugars?

One of the biggest benefits of Frutalose SF75 is its ability to complement other sugar-reduction ingredients, particularly high-intensity sweeteners. Frutalose SF75 is particularly effective at reducing the off-tastes associated with these products, while contributing synergies to the overall sweetener system. The use of such combinations may help formulators achieve goals that are beyond the scope of any one ingredient.

How must these materials be labeled in the ingredient listing on packages?

Our Frutalose products are most commonly labeled as “chicory root fiber” and may also be labeled as “inulin” or “oligofructose.”

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